Similar to last year, each and every school or site should have a Safety Committee that includes 1 or 2 PAT members, selected by the PAT-represented staff at your site. The PAT bargaining team made sure that the language on Safety Committees was updated and renewed in the Tentative COVID-19 Safety Agreement that members will be voting on this week. If your staff has not already done so, please select 2 PAT members to serve on this important committee. 

These committees are standing bodies of the building, but are specifically focused on identifying and resolving any problems pertaining to COVID-19 safety protocols and process, as enshrined in the PAT-PPS COVID-19 Safety LOA and all of the policies/standard operating procedures that the District has developed to keep students and staff safe. 

Each Safety Committee should be touring the building to inspect each space where instruction and support with students will be provided. If you are on the Safety Committee, please make sure your colleagues know that you are serving in this role and work with PAT Building Reps if you need support in getting your administrator to resolve any safety problems or violations of the COVID-19 Safety LOA pertaining to safety. 

And for all other educators, make sure you know who is on your building’s Safety Committee so that you can go to them if you have any issues or problems pertaining to safety, at least to identify the issue so they can work on getting it resolved. 

Safety Committees should have completed a walkthrough of your site by September 7, 2021, using this document to guide their inspection. (Please make a copy of the document for your own use.) Please make sure to review and use this document on your walkthrough and as an overall guide. 

Lastly, you can find helpful resources for the Safety Committee here on the PAT’s website. Please also review PPS’s Q & A document on Health and Safety.